The Prince’s Trust team recently surveyed 172 people about the proposed grazing on Barnham Cross Common on behalf of the Town Council.  The full grazing survey can be seen here Grazing Survey (359 downloads) . The council were pleased to see that 75% of respondents thought that grazing to improve the habitat of rare plants and insects was a good idea.

The Council were troubled that 39% of respondents were concerned for the welfare of the animals. Residents said they were worried that the animals would be attacked by dogs or by the public. To respond to these concerns the council are asking for volunteers who regularly use the common to act as ‘lookerers’ who will keep an eye on the livestock and report any problems. Basic training will be given to any volunteers that come forward.

The Council was also worried that 26% of respondents said they were concerned about the impact the animals would have on access on the common. Residents can be assured that the common is owned by the Town Council and the land will remain accessible to the public. There will be some impact on access however 45% liked the idea of grazing one side of the common at a time. This would definitely help the respondents who admitted that they were afraid of cows and sheep! Additional signage will be going up on the common soon highlighting some of the byelaws that have been in force since 1899.

There has been a lot interest in the Bylaws on the Common because of the introduction of grazing on the common so to see a full version follow the link Common Byelaws (356 downloads)